We held our first meeting of the new year on a bitterly cold day - January 25th. Unfortunately the weather took its toll on attendance, some carers being unable to travel and others hit by illness. However, though we were few, it was a useful meeting. Amanda, cheerful as ever, came laden with freebies and piles of information. Two topics in particular engendered lively discussion.
Amanda talked about the length of time it can take to access help from the social services and how she can help by guiding the carer through the sort of questions that will be asked during a telephone assessment for care. It was alarming to learn that it can take 10 months to reach the top of the list for help and even in a critical situation two months is not unusual.
The other topic concerned assistive technology and how a simple camera for £36 can be set up in a room and linked to a computer so that the carer can see at all times that their cared-for person is all right through their computer, tablet or phone. The freedom this can give the carer is immense and the fact that it can be done so cheaply is a real bonus. I am now pursuing an opportunity for carers to learn more about assistive technology and one of our meetings later in the year.
Various websites were mentioned that carers might find useful in their search for support and information and here are links to two of them:
http://www.carersuk.org/ - the national organisation for carer support
www.carewelluk.org -a joint organisation set up by Carers UK and Bupa to provide health support for carers.
Both websites are invaluable resources for information and contain lots of tips and strategies for coping which have come from the experiences of other carers. Additionally both websites have forums so if you have a topic you want to discuss or you can't find the answer to a question, this may be a good avenue to pursue.
Sadly one of our members lost her mother just before Christmas. I do hope the opportunity to talk about the days leading up to her mother's death and her loss helped. This emphasises how important it is that we support people who have spent a lot of time caring and now longer do so. They, in turn, when they feel able, will be able to offer a great deal to the group by sharing what they have learnt from their experiences.
As I write, the sun has eventually come out, the crocuses and snowdrops are poking up in the garden and it just goes to show how a bit of brightness can make you feel better.
If you can, try to enjoy a brisk walk in the sunshine and see how much better you feel after it.
Best wishes.
